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Apple, Microsoft Tout Their Privacy Policies To Get Positive PR
jfruh writes: Apple hasn't changed its privacy policy in more than a year — but that didn't stop the company from putting up a glossy website explaining it in layman's terms. Microsoft too has been touting its respect for its users's privacy. This doesn't represent any high-minded altruism on those companies' parts, of course; it's part of their battle against Google, their archrival that offers almost all of its services for free and makes its money mining user data.
Does that mean they're mining Bitcoins for me? Where do I sign up?
When are they rolling out the update(s) for Win 7 that makes it spy on you (like Win 10 does) and what updates should we uninstall to prevent this?
They must be fucking kidding
with all the intrusive telemetry of Win 10, being pushed into 7 and 8!
They want to become like google, making big money off of advertising or data mining.
And yet, you all bend over for Google...
Listed under Popular Fiction. Eh, whatever closes the deal...
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
You have to appreciate how Microsofts pathetic attempt to position themselves agaIsnt Google - when they were intercepting and logging Skype conversations between people all along.
Seriously, how dishonest can you get? It is still not clear how to disable MS snooping completely and permanently in Win10 and, as updated cannot be blocked permanently at the moment, there is a permanent risk of them stepping up the snooping at any time. And they have the gall to claim they respect their user's privacy? This is a direct and blatant insult to any of their private customers.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
MSFT lost all credibility when they put a keyboard logger into Win10, then pushed anti-privacy "patches" to Win8 and Win7 machines as "critical security updates".
The unwanted, pre-download of Win10 to older releases was a dick move too.
My largest lie recently - that was the dog's fart, not mine.
"Apple, Microsoft Tout Their Privacy Policies To Get Positive PR"
Translation: Lie to get positive PR. ???
When the day comes that companies and other customers don't need any more versions of operating systems, or a new cell phone, or new office software, Apple's and Microsoft's income will begin diminishing.
Their answer? It seems they want to sell information about users to advertisers, as does Google. So, it appears that they are trying to imitate Google. To imitate Google, it will be necessary to eliminate privacy as much as they are able. Apple and Microsoft seem to be working toward that goal.
What Apple and Microsoft say now about privacy may not be an indication of what they will actually do after they have convinced non-technical customers that they observe privacy restrictions. It is common that technically-knowledgeable people are given some way of reducing their own concerns, and technically-knowledgeable people don't worry about people who don't know how to protect themselves.
Again, Google's tracking is extremely widespread because people use numerous Google services rather than software that they own. Google tracks Slashdot users. The Slashdot home page allows Google to track users 3 ways:
1) google-analytics.com
2) googleadservices.com
3) googletagservices.com
Google owns DoubleClick.net.
Companies are not required to disclose what URLs belong to them, or their purpose. We need government regulation. At present, it seems the U.S. government often merely helps the rich get richer. I love the United States, and want the best for everyone. It's healthy to care. Not caring is self-destructive.
am hoping for help blowing the old whistle, on the firehose on this article:
http://slashdot.org/submission...
please, if you have the time - i am quite serious - this is not a hoax.
however, the exploit would make one heck of a halloween trick or treat...
Because you're on slashdot and therefore you must hate Apple.
And anyone who uses pro Apple facts is just a fanboy.
Come on, how hard are these rules ?
I have two thoughts on this. First, Apple's business model is fundamentally different from google's, and it makes sense for apple to point out the benefits of their business model at every opportunity. Second, I suspect that Tim Cook is extraordinarily sensitive to privacy issues, and one could hypothesize that it may have to do with growing up gay in Alabama in the 60s.
So because someone hates Microsoft, they must love Google? What kind of idiotic logic is that?
With MS providing free updates to Win 7 and 8 users, both licensed and pirated ones, makes one feel how does it affect the way we use windows. They might be trying to reciprocate their mistake which they committed with Win 8 but on the other hand they might also be able to collect data as to which users use pirated copies and which ones use licensed. I don't think anyone in the business is for the sole purpose of providing free services. There is always a hidden motive, sometimes as subtle as collecting user data without them realising it.
Windows Phone:
- No way to use GPS locally without sending location to Microsoft
- No way to use WiFi locally without forced participation in location crowd sourcing
- No way to practically use device / install software without a Microsoft account
- No way to prevent windows phone with Microsoft account from transmitting location data to Microsoft
- No way to maintain a local address book without having it all automatically sent to Microsoft
- No way to prevent device specific identifiers from being sent (in the clear I might add) to Microsoft servers.
Windows:
- No way to prevent transmission of telemetry (Windows 10 non-enterprise SKUs)
- No way to prevent connections to MS servers (vortext, data, settings) when everything CEIP, updates, everything has been completely disabled (Windows 7)
- No way to disable automatic updates (Windows 10)
- No way to prevent CRL queries when CRL checking has been disabled (Windows 7)
- No user reachable knobs to disable mostly annoying and counterproductive NLA queries
- Disrespectful defaults and intentional UX elements such as misleading appearance of MS account requirement to trick people into using a MS account to access their local systems (windows 10)
Lies applicable to TFA:
"In the past, Windows could be thought of as software existing only on your device. Now with Windows 10, important parts of Windows are based in the cloud, interacting with online services"
This is non-specific BS to setup excuses for unacceptable privacy violations enumerated later in TFA.
"When you communicate with your friends, family, and business associates, like text messaging (SMS, MMS, etc.) on a Windows device, we have to get the content of the message to deliver it to your inbox, display it to you, enable you to reply to it, and store it for you until you delete it."
I'll leave this nonsense speak for itself.
"For real-time communications, a phone-calling app needs to know the phone number of the contact you want to reach. "
This is priceless because the calling app does not have a local store. What it really effectively means if you want to call anyone Microsoft needs to know the number.
"If you lose your phone, you can locate your Windows phone on a map using Find My Phone at https://account.microsoft.com.... Even if you have turned off all other access to the location service on the phone, this feature can still work. "
This is the problem there is no effective way to opt out even up front when initially setting up the device. The only possible option is to not associate a MS account which effectively renders the device a brick/feature phone.
Apple, Microsoft Tout Their Piracy Policies To Get Positive PR. In today's date , commander Data would be so ashamed of the word "big data" ( if he had feelings)
Actually, we all know Microsoft is evil :D
Patents Drive Free Software as Hurricanes Drive Construction Industry
It's a bit like being an atheist who keeps getting asked whether he worships God or Satan, yes.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
My computer should not be sending them the data in the first place. They can't abuse or "lose" data that they don't have. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google are all American companies, which means they could not be trusted even if they really meant what their privacy policies say.
I have two thoughts on this. First, Apple's business model is fundamentally different from google's, and it makes sense for apple to point out the benefits of their business model at every opportunity. Second, I suspect that Tim Cook is extraordinarily sensitive to privacy issues, and one could hypothesize that it may have to do with growing up gay in Alabama in the 60s.
I recently caved in and bought my wife a Macbook Pro.
I've been wanting for years to get her off Windows, and my chances of ever getting her on Linux are slim to none. I finally decided that, as little love as I have for Apple, I distrust Apple less than I distrust Microsoft. Once we get her data copied over from her old machine so I can nuke the drive, our home will be Windows-free*.
*(Other than the Win7 instance I very occasionally run in a VM for testing stuff related to my job.)
Thank you, Windows 10 and forced upgrades, for finally getting me off the fence!
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Why can't Apple have motives that are altruistic, and then also point out how different those motives are from Google's?
Because Apple are not altruistic. It is a public traded company and are not supposed to, or even allowed to be in some placed. and on top of that it has a long history of a sociopathic corporate culture.
In this particular topic, they have even less respect for privacy than Microsoft does, the difference being that Microsoft users were user to more respect.
https://technet.microsoft.com/...
I don't have a problem with any of these. Why? Am I a pro-Microsoft shill? Or just a rational user that isn't a paranoid fucking asshole.
Shh. The grownups are talking.
Microsoft is bingin your bunghole.
FWIW, I went through the exact same thing two months ago. Non-technical wife (accountant), never used anything but Windows on the desktop/laptop. I didn't want to go balls deep with a brand new MBP in case she hated it so I picked up a 2010 version for a few hundred off Ebay.
Installed Yosemite and bought an old copy of Office for Mac 2008 for $25 so she can run Excel. Then set up Virtualbox with Windows XP just to run her ancient version of Quicken until she can transition to a native Mac version at the start of next year (hopefully finding something she can use besides Intuit). Just told her to click on the cube.
Bottom line is she loves it. I was really afraid that Finder and the apps bar would be too different for comfort but that turned out not to be the case. She knows her documents are in the Documents folder and which icons to click for apps (mail, pictures, browser), and that manipulating files involves the apple key. Time Machine is intuitive enough where she can manage file recovery herself, and I get the benefit of brainless automatic backups to the NAS.
So credit needs to be given where's it's due; there's something about Apple that just fits perfectly with average users. And at this point I honestly do feel that Apple is the least of all evils for privacy now. So the time was right.
Hope your experience turns out to be the same!
And for windows phone this is a viable option, there are plenty of other phones widely available and you wont be inconvenienced because you dont have a windows phone.
For desktop windows this isn't the case, alternatives are either not widely known (linux) or start at a much higher price point (apple), and if you are using one of the alternative you will often encounter inconvenience in the form of proprietary applications, files or third parties that force you towards using windows.
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
So the shills have been copying Scientology's "what are your crimes" deflection tactic for a while now. I wonder who approved that plan, as it didn't work for CoS either.
Ce n'est pas une signature automatique.
Sometimes the balls on Microsoft amazes me. To tout themselves as some sort of champion of privacy right after releasing the spyingest operating system they've ever released is an awe-inspiring move.
"When you communicate with your friends, family, and business associates, like text messaging (SMS, MMS, etc.) on a Windows device, we have to get the content of the message to deliver it to your inbox, display it to you, enable you to reply to it, and store it for you until you delete it."
"For real-time communications, a phone-calling app needs to know the phone number of the contact you want to reach. "
Do they really think this low of their customers?
If the calling, texting app needs to know all this, where does MS come into picture. Its ok app needs to know it but why does this information have to leave my device to their server? Why does app on my device needs a Big Brother?
Lol did that post really come off like I was an Apple fanboy? Makes sense though...the hallmark of complete absorption into the reality distortion field is that you don't even know you're in it.
Thanks, iBank and Moneydance were the first two I was going to have her evaluate.
I'm not terribly impressed. HOWEVER: A world in which these companies trip over each other trying to appear to care about your privacy, indicates that a shift has already happened in the market and in the minds of the public at large, and these 2 behemoths are now trying to reconcile their business models with the new reality. KEEP THE PRESSURE ON THEM, and if you haven't said thanks to Ed Snowden lately, I hear he's now on the Tweeter.
I admittedly haven't tried this yet - thus the question mark... I need to run Windows ONLY for a couple applications in my business, but those apps are Windows XP/7 centric. Wine clearly isn't going to be anywhere near good enough (and I increasingly suspect never will be). How hard is it to setup Windows under Linux, inside Virtualbox, and cut it off utterly from the internet? Is there a huge performance hit? Will XP or Win 7 PRO (which has a built-in Win XP emulator) be difficult to install or disappoint? I don't NEED continual internet access. In fact, I don't even want it. I would like there to be a continual but convenient switch to disable internet connectivity with a single click or, alternatively, I would like an OS which would WARN me any and every time there was any attempt by any process to access the internet or allow an internet connection. Get rid of the internet and the need for Microsoft or OSX updates goes to about zero.zero. Doesn't it?
He's saying that his wife found them intuitive. And he never mentioned right-click, you came up with that all by yourself, genius.
FWIW, I suspect that theskipper, like me, is mostly just glad he's found something that (a) works for his non-techy wife, (b) doesn't depend on Windows, and (c) doesn't require him to provide constant support just for her to learn the basics.
In any case, you've attempted to troll someone based on things they didn't say. FAIL.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.